National survey looks to pulse check producer mental health

Mar 18, 2026

Farmers and ranchers encouraged to share input

University of Guelph researchers, in collaboration with the Canadian Centre for Agricultural Wellbeing (CCAW), have launched their third national survey of farmer and rancher mental health. The last two surveys were conducted during turbulent times, and they look to gauge changes in producer mental wellbeing during the current climate.

Professor Andria Jones conducted the first survey in 2016 and then Briana Hagen, the CEO and lead scientist for the CCAW and Shelly Thompson, a UofG PhD candidate, did the follow up survey in 2021.

“Every five years we’re collecting information on the prevalences of mental health, several mental health outcomes and a lot of demographic information so that we can kind of look at trends over time and see how farmers are doing in terms of their mental health,” Hagen says.

Over the last 10 years, farmers and ranchers have faced much uncertainty, in terms of trade, weather and market conditions, to name a few. The survey is a snapshot in time to see how producers are coping with the current agricultural landscape. The last two surveys have included about 1,000 producers and this year, the researchers are hoping they can exceed that number. Indeed, broad participation is essential to ensure the findings reflect the diverse realities of farming and ranching in Canada to help inform future research, program and policy.

“We know from the previous two surveys that farmers are experiencing mental health struggles at an increased prevalence compared to all other occupations in Canada. And we really need that information to be able to go to bat for them to make sure that there are available services for them, and we can’t do that if we don’t have the information.”

Indeed, past findings show that farmers and ranchers are experiencing poor mental health outcomes like depression, anxiety and components of burnout at higher rates than the general Canadian population.

“In the second cycle of the survey, there were questions around suicide that were added,” Hagen says. “We found that farmers were twice as likely to be ideating about suicide or thinking that in the last year their life was not worth living or seriously considering taking their own life. So those were extremely concerning statistics.”

Click here to see more...

Video: Dicamba Returns for Georgia Farmers: What the New EPA Ruling Means for Cotton Growers

After being unavailable in 2024 due to registration issues, dicamba products are returning for Georgia farmers this growing season — but under strict new conditions.

In this report from Tifton, Extension Weed Specialist Stanley Culpepper explains the updated EPA ruling, including new application limits, mandatory training requirements, and the need for a restricted use pesticide license. Among the key changes: a cap of two ½-pound applications per year and the required use of an approved volatility reduction agent with every application.

For Georgia cotton producers, the ruling is significant. According to Taylor Sills with the Georgia Cotton Commission, the vast majority of cotton planted in the state carries the dicamba-tolerant trait — meaning farmers had been paying for technology they couldn’t use.

While environmental groups have expressed concerns over spray drift, Georgia growers have reduced off-target pesticide movement by more than 91% over the past decade. Still, this two-year registration period will come with increased scrutiny, making stewardship and compliance more important than ever.